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“Ask a Priest: If a Priest’s English Isn’t Good, Could I Switch to Online Masses?”

Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
Q: I am an 81-year-old woman who sometimes has problems getting around but try to get to Mass every Sunday. Our country parish is small, and we just got a new pastor. I and others all have the same problem: We cannot understand anything he is saying, and we just give up on the sermon as we can’t follow it. He is from another country. I do understand that we have a major shortage of priests, and we take what we can get, but I get nothing out of Mass anymore. I have gone online and found some wonderful Masses with singing, etc., and I really enjoy hearing them. But am I really doing the right thing? I just wish we had an English-speaking priest so I could enjoy my church Mass. Thank you. – P.C.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: You are fortunate that you at least have a priest who can celebrate the Eucharist. Many parish churches don’t even have that anymore.

It remains important that you attend Mass if you can. Even if you don’t understand much, the Holy Spirit can still bestow graces, especially through the Eucharist.

If you find that online Masses help, you could use them as a supplement but not as a substitute for the real thing.

If you hope for native English-speaking priests, it would be good to pray for vocations and to spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. “Ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

And pray for the priest you have. It probably hasn’t been easy for him to leave his homeland and to minister in another language.

For more ideas, see the U.S. bishops’ conference webpage on vocation promotion.

 

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!